Our electronic newsletter that goes to your email inboxes just hit this morning!
If you didn’t receive this, go here and sign up to receive future editions:
Read it all, get in on great indoor training, learn how to pack for Social Distance Cycling, see what we have to say about SAVING Bike Retail. Through us you have access to thousands of bikes, components, wheels, accessories, apparel, and much more. Keep us in your lives!
Lexington Center is more vibrant because we’re part of people’s everyday lives here. Let’s make sure we are able to stay in Lexington Center well into the future!
It’s never been more obvious why it’s important to shop local and support companies who support our local economy. The world is going to change as a result of the pandemic and small businesses are very directly affected by the stay-at-home order.
Thank you VERY MUCH to each of you who has bought a gift card, made a donation, or made a purchase of a bike, components, apparel, wheels, or other smaller items in the past few weeks. Even the smallest purchases mean a lot to us. Some of you are being hit harder than others, and have still contributed in some way. This reminds us why it is important to not just survive - but thrive - on the other side of this. Because this cycling community is TOO important to lose by way of unfortunate circumstances.
Next time you think: it’ll just be easier to go online and buy “X.” Please also remind yourself that you are lucky you have a choice. If you buy your cycling stuff online, soon (and now with the pandemic, even sooner) the choice to buy locally won’t exist. And those online prices? Often they are the same and sometimes higher than what you pay here. They’ve been going up steadily and in the future, when you don’t have a choice, they’ll be even higher. EVERY PURCHASE YOU MAKE COUNTS.
Each time you press the “purchase” button online, imagine a little nail going into our front door, helping seal it shut. Think about the people who have offered their years of cycling expertise to advise you on new bike builds, suggested compatibilities on components, those who have offered you service on your bike.
Think about the barista who made you a latte with a heart on it, on the day you really needed that latte - and that heart. Think about that person who won’t be able to walk through the door to help you in the future, that the door won’t exist, nor will the expertise or the great products behind that door.
We appreciate your emails asking us if we have something available to sell you. 95% of the time, we say “YES” we will get you that thing, we will advise you about it if you have questions, we will usually even deliver it to your home for no additional charge.
At times like these, we see who values retail, who values us as a partner. Many of our suppliers have stepped up, gotten creative, and it’s awesome to see some cool things happen!
Here’s a partial list (we’ll keep it up-to-date on our website going forward) of companies particularly pro-active in seeing us through the pandemic and who offer products we recommend for your cycling enjoyment!
Building a great bike takes great attention to detail and interest in each person who is getting each bike. There is a world of difference between a stock or custom bike built for you and one that isn’t.
Our bike suppliers Seven Cycles and Honey Bikes’ frames are built in Massachusetts. The craftspeople who build these fine frames and bikes are keeping great cycling and manufacturing alive in our state. What they do is important to our experience as cyclists and to our local economy. These people also care deeply about your cycling experience and building you an incredibly high value, quality product.
Email us to tell us what you want in a new bike, we’ll show you how much value you’ll get in a Seven or Honey, depending on what you are asking for. There is almost nothing bike-wise we can’t offer you by way of one of these great companies.
Frame builder at Seven Cycles, Dan Cariolo, shows Professional Cyclist, Kelly Catale, how he’s building her new frame for the bike that she’ll go on to race and win many races upon.
Check out the Garmin 1030 at $400 (you save $200) for the best cycling computer available on the market today
Industry Nine makes awesome quality, very cool looking wheels. Lightweight, durable, and built for nearly every type of riding.
UnTapped Maple Products are natural, tasty, and available here normally when we’re open. We encourage you to shop on their online store while they are offering us margin on your purchases and thinking creatively to support retail!
Use coupon code VittoriaAA2J on Vittoria.com for 10% off + FREE SHIPPING sitewide
There are thousands of products available via QBP, please ask us for anything and we’re likely to be able to ship straight to you! Sorry, there’s simply too much to list. Please email us at connect@ridestudiocafe.com and ask us for what you want!
Why buy Rapha apparel from us when you can get it online? Because you want to try it on in the store, you want to see it on our shelves once things go back to “normal.” Rapha left all retail stores ~4 years ago. Now they are back in brick and mortar. Why? They NEED retailers. Therefore, we need you to buy all of your Rapha from us or you won’t see it here in the future.
We place WEEKLY Rapha orders Tuesday mornings for delivery before the weekend. Get your orders to us by 10am Tuesday mornings!
A shopping area that used to be full of business is desolate. Just a few miles away from here, and only a few weeks away for many small businesses in our area.
A rider moments away from taking his Honey Allroads out on a very fast road ride.
The Honey Allroads is the gravel bike of your dreams and starts at $4,700 so is logical as a first gravel bike purchase. If you are coming from being a road rider, there is a lot about gravel that you need to consider that you may not have had to think about for your road bike.
Gravel bikes get beaten up. Frame materials are very important to your best experience. Carbon is not a good material for a gravel bike for these reasons: not durable enough, pressfit bottom brackets really don’t like to get dirty and are challenging to keep creak-free, there are proprietary parts on most carbon bikes that are hard or impossible to replace when they fail, and replaceable aluminum derailleur hangers are not fun when they break.
Comfort over rough terrain is vitally important. Having a well-designed titanium frame under you that offers vertical compliance is important to your riding happiness all day in the saddle.
Stability is important. On rough or loose terrain, you want to feel your wheels sticking to the ground for you to feel confident knowing your wheels will continue to stay under you and you will stay in control. A positive upside of this: you go faster when your wheels have more contact with the ground!
Position should be slightly less aggressive than your road position to get weight off the front wheel and allow proper handling.
Clearance for bigger tires and/or fenders. The Honey takes up to 50mm tires on 650b wheels. Whether you want to run this big or not, it is nice to have options. 40mm tires on 700c wheels is the most common setup. If you want full-time fenders, there is room and mounts for these, also.
You and we are all getting ready for big meals and lots of festivities tomorrow.
We are open Thanksgiving Day, November 27 from 8am-9:30am. If you’d like to drop in for a coffee or to join in on our road group ride, feel free! We’d love to see you.
Thanksgiving Road Ride: 9:00am - Road Group Ride: 17mph average, 36 miles. Route (updated 12:27am 11/27/19) https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20409092
As always, we ask you to fill out the Waiver in store if you haven’t done it in 2019 and be certain you follow our Ride Rules.
Every year we ride in the first snow of the season and it’s always a magical and incredibly good time! The weather predictions are pointing to this Sunday being THE DAY. Please keep close tabs on our Instagram and Twitter feeds to be up to speed on the very latest so you know when the ride is rolling out. Please take photos and use #rscfirstsnow!
We thank you for being part of the Ride Studio Cafe community and we appreciate you making us part of your life! Have a wonderful holiday!
Tax-free weekend means that parts, components, accessories, apparel, and much more - any single item - whether you take it home next weekend or not - under $2,500, is tax-free!
Read the details and let us know you want to get in on tax-free items this upcoming weekend!
We’re welcoming Spyhouse Coffee as our guest roaster for this cycle! They are an up-and-coming roaster from Minnesota and with 5 shops already in the Minneapolis area. And being from the northern US, they are as familiar as we are with harsh winters and keeping their passions alive no matter what the conditions are outdoors. As an established farm-to-cup operation with their own roasting facility in Northeast Minneapolis, Spyhouse has developed strong relationships with farmers in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Columbia, Kenya, and Brazil. What we have on our menu at Ride Studio Cafe currently are two delicious pourovers (and these will rotate!): the Chelbassa from Ethiopia and Finca Angelina (or ‘Fangelina’ as our coffee guru Ike likes to call it) from Costa Rica. The Chelbassa is an exhilarating cup that brings forth notes of apricot, elderflower, and if you look for it a little bit of lemonade. The Finca Angelina is a soft cup with a tea-like body. Notes of elderberry and aged rum are present with a lingering grapefruit zest to balance it out. We will also be featuring Orion, their signature blend, in our espresso drinks. Come in and enjoy any one (or all!) of these delicious drinks.
Wednesday, December 26 we’re hosting the Good Friends Gathering!
This is a fun 100k road ride sandwiched by hot oatmeal and coffee before the ride and a tasty bowl of sweet potato and lentil stew afterward. Food is free for all who RSVP by 5pm December 23.
For the fourth year, we hosted the #rscfirstsnow ride which is the ride we host that always happens during the first “real” snow of each season.
We are leading a ride when the first snow hits for this season and it's looking like it's getting close! We have a Ride Page dedicated to this ride - read up there as to how to know when the time to ride has come….
The Seven Cycles Evergreen is the embodiment of versatility. Essentially, the Evergreen is a disc brake bike with drop handlebars and clearance for 40c tires on 700c wheels or ~50mm tires on 650B wheels. A typical Evergreen has a bottom bracket lower than a traditional cyclocross race bike for greater stability, and is designed for long-riding comfort on rough surfaces as well as nimbleness and ease in mixed terrain settings. Evergreens make great road bikes, they also are found on rough, challenging single track.
The Evergreen evolved out of the desire to do more and to take on new terrain. Well-suited for gravel roads, dirt single track, and long days in the saddle, it is a true adventure machine. Seven officially introduced the Evergreen in 2013; it is now one of the most popular options for Ride Studio Cafe clients because it allows them to do so much with a single bike.
When creating a custom frame, the performance designers at Seven take into account what a rider will do with his or her new bike. The rider's various desires and cycling disciplines are only one part of what helps to determine the bike's ride characteristics and qualities. But with a Seven, the bike influences the rider just as much the rider shapes the bike. A Seven will inspire its rider to take on new challenges one never thought possible. Owning an Evergreen is a provocation for adventure.
Henry v. is a long-time rider at the Studio who has achieved a great deal with his riding. We remember the day he walked in and told us, "I want to become a cyclist." This was a pivotal moment. Henry grew with us as a rider and became a member of the Ride Studio Alliance. He now regularly leads our group rides as a Super Domestique. His crowning achievement was participating in the 2015 edition of Paris-Brest-Paris, a 1200km randonnee.
Henry was one of our first clients to purchase an Evergreen when they were initially offered by Seven. At that time, many features now considered commonplace, such as disc brakes and a tapered head tube, were new to the cycling industry. Henry was primarily looking for a bike that would be used for randonneuring. The Studio's process of working with riders to create bikes that anticipate their future needs, however, landed Henry a bicycle that could do so much more. Four years later, we sat down with Henry to talk about his experiences and how his Evergreen has shaped him as a rider.
Henry's Build Kit
Cal: Henry, what led you to the Studio?
Henry: Originally, coffee. I live near Lexington center and my wife and I would walk to the library and after enjoy a nice coffee and admire the beautiful bikes at RSC. I had never ridden a road bike, and Patria asked me if I wanted to try one out.The first time I rode one it was like flying; it was so easy--so smooth compared to the city bikes I had been riding. I was hooked on cycling.
Cal: What inspired you to become a randonneur? Did you know immediately that was what you wanted to do?
Henry: It started slowly. In the fall of 2011, I was doing rides by myself. At some point, I starting doing the KIT rides. That was a real eye-opener in terms of pushing myself and going farther. We went to Harvard every Saturday and that was definitely faster and pushed my limits. That was also the first year of the Festive 500 Challenge. The day after Christmas I did a Studio ride with Pamela and John to Mount Wachussett. It was a very cold day and I had never ridden with them before. The farthest I had ridden up to that point was maybe 50 miles, and that ride was 85 miles!
Then I learned about the New England Randonneurs. The first year I did a 100km, 200km and 300km. The 300km was very memorable because it rained the whole time. I was still using my Scott road bike, which was definitely uncomfortable.
The Evergreen is undaunted by riding in the snow on Overland Basecamp's Wintertide Ride.
Cal: What is it that you like about randonneuring?
Henry: Brevets are a combination of challenge, adventure and opportunity to ride in new areas and meet new fellow cyclists. It also turns out to be a good way to test your willpower, creativity, grit and get in (or sometimes out of) tune with your body.
Cal: When did you decide to buy a Seven?
Henry: A half year into cycling, I knew I wanted to buy a Seven. I did not feel my current bike would be a good bike to do PBP. Ride Studio has a close partnership with Seven. It was built locally here in Watertown; they are custom tailored; I know a number of folks that work for Seven, and it was the beauty of the bike that made me go into cycling in the first place. And, of course, it is a very well made, reliable, easy to ride, beautiful bike. I ordered the Evergreen in early 2014 and planned to ride PBP in 2015. I was planning to do a 1000k in the Summer of 2014 in Virginia that took me thru Shenandoah and Blue Ridge mountains.
Cal: Tell me about the process of getting your bike - what inspired your choices? What was it like working with the Studio?
Henry: At the time, I was starting to do more rides with dirt and gravel and my first bike could only handle 28mm tires, so I was looking for more clearance. I also wanted to do longer brevets that required installing lights, fenders, and bags in a reliable way. Other choices were the disc brakes. We had an interview discussing my requirements including a hub generator in the front wheel, extra bottle cage under the down tube, and we had a fitting session. We had some discussion on the color. I liked a certain orange on a bike that was hanging in RSC. Hence my Evergreen's nickname everOrange. When the bike was built, I saw the actual frame being welded in the Seven factory in Watertown. There were a lot choices, but RSC helped me to get through that and came up with the right options for me.
Henry regularly leads a Holiday Ride Series for the Studio and logs many miles in all temperatures and conditions.
Cal: Did you find it challenging to prepare for PBP?
Henry: Not really – the nice thing is that the brevet series builds on top of itself. I felt really well prepared. The only thing that was challenging during the event itself was the sleep deprivation – which I had not encountered before. I think that jet lag was a factor. I barely slept the night before the start. Next time I will probably get there a week ahead of time to acclimate to the time difference and also focus on getting more sleep during the ride. I’m thinking I'll do to it again in 2019. The atmosphere was just so good last time. I’ve never seen anything like it – just so many cyclists. And the enthusiasm from the towns that you go through – people were cheering along the route. You see people sleeping in ATM booths, on the side of the road. People even put mattresses on their front lawns for riders to sleep on.
Henry on course during the Paris-Brest-Paris 2016
Cal: How has your Seven Evergreen changed you?
Henry: It has made me a better, confident rider. Long road rides, fast gravel descents, cyclocross races; my everOrange is there. Cyclocross racing came out of mixed terrain riding. The first one I did was Orchard Cross which got me hooked. It had a great vibe – all the good things that I enjoy. My Evergreen’s disc brakes give me a lot of control. I switch my Evergreen’s gearing. For randoneeuring I have a 52x34 in the front and in the back an 11-32, which is really needed for the long climbs. For cyclocross, I’ll switch to a short cage rear derailleur and use a smaller cassette and only use my small chain ring.
With a few simple changes Henry adapts his Evergreen for cyclocross racing.
Cal: What do you want to do next? Future goals? Any new bikes on the horizon?
Henry: This year I will do another 1000k, probably Nova Scotia this summer, next year hopefully another PBP and I am working with my friend, Beppe Salerno of Tourissimo, on a project to do gravel riding in Tuscany on the Strade Bianchi. (Check out our Italy cycling trip in partnership with Tourissimo here) Longer term, I hope to do more brevets in other parts of the US and Europe. No other bikes yet. I am not a n+1 person. I do have 3 sets of wheels for the everOrange and even more tire choices and since last year started to explore tubeless setups. That upped my cyclocross game a lot, and I also love the Barlow Pass 38c tires setup tubelessly. I have been eyeing the Fat bikes and the Seven Red Sky with electronic shifting, maybe some day…..
Cal: What in your mind is the most special thing about your Evergreen? What makes it unique?
Henry: The versatility. I can use it in all these different disciplines and it still performs really well.
New adventures ahead....
We are very pleased to announce the arrival of our newest guest roaster, Broadsheet Coffee Roasters from Cambridge MA. Named after the large-size format of newspaper first printed and distributed in Cambridge, this brand-new business is becoming one of the most well-regarded coffee roasting companies here in the Commonwealth.
As complete and utter coffee nerds, we always make sure to check out any new and hyped coffee business in our area. We were struck by their friendly, knowledgeable staff, and as soon as we sampled their product in both drip and espresso, we knew they would make an excellent guest roaster for our cafe. Sticking to a medium-light roast profile, Aaron, the founder, sources impeccable green coffee and is a truly committed and thoughtful roaster.
Aaron MacDougall is the founder of Broadsheet Coffee, and is their main roaster. His skills have earned his coffee several awards in 2017. He and his Lead Barista John Yee were recently in New Orleans competing at the US Coffee Championships. John is competing in the brewer's cup with the Ethiopia Kochere that we will be serving as a pour over. We are excited to see how it places!
Come to Lexington to enjoy a cup!
Verve Coffee Roasters is Ride Studio Cafe’s current guest roaster and we don’t want you to miss out on the opportunity to enjoy what Verve has to offer before we rotate to our next guest mid-January.
Verve Coffee is a globally recognized roaster, with cafe locations from its origin in Santa Cruz, California, to Tokyo, Japan. Verve embodies the positivity of its local California surf and sun while also championing its international Farmlevel community initiative, ensuring that every hand in the growing and roasting process is supported. Verve’s attention to detail, fair trade focus, and wide selection of roasts from around the world has made it among the most popular choice for coffee enthusiasts.
Verve’s Nano Challa is a current pour over favorite at the Ride Studio Cafe–an Ethiopian single origin blend with notes of wildflower honey and nectarine, named after the modest Nano Challa washing station in the Gero Woreda region. Harvested in the moist winter season, then dried and elaborately hand stirred, the intricate flavor makes for a unique experience with every sip.
Perfectly paired with a slice of lemon tea bread from our studio location or purchased by the bag for your morning cup at home, Verve’s Nano Challa is for the adventurous coffee lover.
Holiday Rides with Henry is back for 2017! If you are looking to end the year with great rides and good company, join us out on the road during the week of December 24 through the end of the year. We are riding some of our favorite routes with great food stops along the way. We are even bringing back the traditional Snowflake Century – a one hundred-mile ride in the shape of a snowflake!
If you complete the whole series you will be rewarded with a grand total of 437 miles in an eight day span – an awesome way to finish your season. All rides will start and end at the Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington, MA. See below for mileage and GPS routes.
All rides roll out from Ride Studio at 8:30am except the snowflake century on Saturday, 12/30. The average pace of each ride is 17mph except Friday, 12/29 which is 16mph.
A few things to remember:
Make sure you are well-equipped for the cold and wintry conditions. At Ride Studio we have a great selection of new winter apparel from our friends at 45NRTH, Cafe du Cycliste, and Velocio that is sure to keep you warm and comfortable out on the road. We have great options for studded tires, a must-have for riding on icy roads.
We look forward to finishing 2017 with you in style! Have fun and ride safe.
Happy Holidays from all of us at Ride Studio Cafe!
We are excited to announce our new partnership with Cafe du Cycliste cycling apparel based out of Nice, France.
Cafe du Cycliste creates men’s and women’s riding apparel for the cyclist who wants to be comfortable while riding, fashion forward on and off the bike, and who wants to experience the best textiles and cycling apparel design in the industry.
Come in to try on Cafe du Cycliste, we’ve got a big selection of fall and winter apparel in stock – available first thing in the morning December 8. We are the only New England Cafe du Cycliste retailer and one of four nationally. We’ve got a great selection of sizes, colors, and styles, and we are happy to special order most items for you.
Aside from the quality and attention to fit and functionality for cyclists, we are particularly impressed with the colors and reflective details on Cafe du Cycliste’s apparel. They’ve embedded reflectivity into many of their jerseys and jackets. Their colors are classic, and fabrics are focused on soft, high-performance merino wool, and other fabrics chosen carefully for their intended use.
Here is their Alphonsine jersey made for cold weather riding. It has color, wind-proof front panels, comfortable fabrics, and reflective details on the back. If you prefer darker colors, those are offered, too.
The CDC Audax Windproof Cycling Gilet shows off color, style, and a whole lot of reflective details, including side reflectivity strips not seen here.
These are available for both men and women in all sizes. Come in to try these and many, many other pieces on!
Don’t forget to ask for them for holiday gifts! Our next order is being placed December 11 at 10pm EST. Be sure to let us know what you want before then. We will confirm with you when we have your order in hand.
We place orders from the France-based Cafe du Cycliste two to four times every month. We will keep you posted of future order dates. Therefore, tell us what you want and we’ll get it ordered and to you with no duties or shipping & handling fees. We take care of warranties so you don’t have to deal with it, though we expect there to be very few as the quality of these garments is top notch.
Let us know what you’re looking for, we’ll let you know if we have it on our shelves. If not, we’ll offer you the opportunity to special order through us. If you order the wrong size, we’ll offer you the chance to exchange it for a different Cafe du Cycliste item of the same value and a size that will suit you.
Come on in to check out the awesome new offerings made possible by Cafe du Cycliste!
